1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power operated machine for rolling used newspapers into a combustible fireplace log, and particularly an electric motor driven newspaper log rolling machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The high cost of home heating fuel, whether it be by gas, oil, coal, or electricity, has encouraged home owners to rely more upon their fireplaces for burning wood and other combustible material in the fireplace for maintaining a comfortable ambient temperature within the home. Fireplace logs are also increasing in price. Most people have difficulty disposing of their daily newspaper accumulations; hence, the interest in devising machines for helping roll the old newspapers into fireplace logs is becoming more inviting.
Newspaper log rolling machines have been used in the past. An early paper log rolling machine is described in the Butz U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,007. There is described a hand operated machine for winding sheet materials such as old newspapers into a roll to form a combustible fireplace log. This machine has a base on which there is mounted a spindle for rotation parallel to the base and movement vertically with respect thereto. Each end of the spindle is provided with an overhead coiled spring which tends to hold the spindle down, thus applying pressure against the paper roll so as to obtain a tight coil of paper for maximum long burn without pre-treatment of the sheet material.
The Albee U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,499 describes another primitive hand operated machine for rolling newspapers into fireplace logs. This invention relates more to the crank arm with its elongated shank portion for gripping the newspaper, rather than to the details of the machine itself.
The next patent relates to an invention which is available on the market, that is Christen et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,373. The machine includes an upwardly opening pan that is supported between the two end frames. An elongated shaft is supported above the pan, and leaf springs are mounted within the pan for applying upward directed force upon the newspapers being wound on the shaft for urging the newspapers into a tightly wound condition so that they will retain that formation and will be amenable to storage pending usage.
The Porter U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,299 is the first patent showing a motor driven spindle or shaft for forming rolls of newspaper logs. This machine includes a solution-containing reservoir above which is mounted a removable slotted shaft through which the end of the newspaper is placed. The motor drives the shaft causing the paper to be rolled thereon as it is passed through the solution in the reservoir. The newspaper is fed to the shaft along a tilting platform, which is supported upon a knife edge for rotational purposes. One edge of the platform is biased against the roll of paper to insure that it is correctly wound thereon into a paper fire log.
The Dahlstrom U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,564 describes another manually operated machine for rolling newspapers into burnable logs. One feature of this machine is that it comprises a plurality of rollers for bearing against the newspaper as the newspaper is being wound on the removable central winding roller so that it will be a compact or solid roll when it is completed. One advantage given for this design is that the machine is capable of being stopped at any stage of operation, and the rolling operation resumed later without loss of motion or material.
The last prior art patent is to Hart U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,678, which describes a second motor driven machine. The motor has a foot control so that the operator may have his hands free for feeding the newspaper. The invention appears to be mostly with the rectangular shaft or spindle that has two longitudinally tapered halves for clamping an edge of the newspaper that is to be wound thereon.